indirectly

American  

[in-duh-rekt-lee, -dahy-] / ˌɪn dəˈrɛkt li, -daɪ- /

adverb

1. in a roundabout way; not by the shortest or straightest path.

   Since I had time to spare I took a bus that went a bit indirectly to my destination, and saw places on the way that I never knew existed.

2. by a connection that is not immediate.

   We all pay into the federal tax system indirectly when we purchase goods from companies that pay taxes.

3. in a way that is veiled or not straightforward; obliquely.

   I use poetic language to speak indirectly about those things that seem to slip from our grasp as soon as we name them.

4. deviously or covertly.

   The ad comes from a group indirectly funded by the cult and calling itself by another name.

5. Grammar. as indirect discourse; not as an actual quotation.

   If I’m reporting the person’s speech indirectly, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he,” or “they.”

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Other Word Forms

• semi-indirectly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of indirectly

indirect ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indirectly

Limerick city mayor John Moran estimates between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the region depend directly or indirectly on the refinery.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Discovery are “temporarily enjoined and restrained from closing or consummating the transaction or taking any steps, directly or indirectly, to integrate or consolidate their operations pursuant to the transaction.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Most of the losses were caused, directly or indirectly, by presidential removal.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

We must, therefore, leave the Science article behind and rely on other kinds of evidence to get to grips with the structure of Neanderthal groups indirectly.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

An obvious possible answer is that they were killed off or else eliminated indirectly by the first arriving humans.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond